Human Rights Commission Meeting Minutes Community Engagement Committee Meeting November 4, 2021 Virtual/Electronic Meeting 1:00 pm Public link to meeting rebroadcasts on Boxcast: https://boxcast.tv/channel/vabajtzezuyv3iclkx1a Public link to HRC documents on Box: https://app.box.com/s/xty3wnn2s1tj8h7trkknvd79bipyxezy 1. WELCOME a. CALL TO ORDER i. Chair, Jessica Harris, called the meeting to order at 1:06 pm b. ROLL CALL i. Lyndele Von Schill ii. Andrew Orban iii. Jessica Harris iv. Kathryn Laughon c. MISSION (recited by all): Act as a strong advocate to justice and equal opportunity by providing citywide leadership and guidance in the area of civil rights. 2. MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC a. PUBLIC COMMENT i. None b. COMMISSION RESPONSE TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC i. None 3. MINUTES a. Review of minutes from 10/14/21 i. Motion to approve 1. Lyndele ii. Second 1. Jessica iii. Vote 1. In favor: 2 2. Opposed: 0 3. Abstained: 2 4. WORK SESSION a. Draft Resolution A21-1 i. Approved the changes described in the comments; now Lyndele needs to make these final changes in a new document 1. Not yet finished with official version, so need to finish that before making changes to plain language version 2. Lyndele will send the finished version to the entire Commission to be voted upon at the next regular meeting ii. After approving the plain language version of this document, there are plans to make plain language versions of other documents, as well 1. Include flyer (to use as a future model) and plain language version for approval, as well iii. Hyperlinks to other documents will not be included, as if the location of the other documents change the links will break iv. Could write resolution in plain language that all resolutions going forward (and past ones, potentially) will be drafted in plain language 1. Then, it would not be necessary to recognize the plain-language counterpart at the bottom of every formal-language document 2. Written like other resolutions 3. Lyndele can draft this plain language resolution b. August 11-12, 2017 recognition during 2022 i. Ashley wanted feedback regarding the memo sent over the summer about the City’s five-year remembrance of August 2017 events and recognition of commemorative dates and months throughout the year ii. There is no funding for this currently, though Todd can look at the OHR budget iii. Committee Chair asks if there has been any other event since August 2017 1. 2019 Unity Days: Charlene worked with City Manager’s Office and Communications to gather ideas from community members a. They had funding for various initiatives; Todd has the calendar of the Unity Days events iv. Todd would not be able to put on a large event, so it would have to be a feasible initiative for people involved 1. Commissioner says Ashley requests feedback more than putting on events v. Commissioner says she would rather the City apologize and provide more transparency than commemorate this 2017 event 1. Another Commissioner agrees and says she would rather the City address the lingering effects of August 2017, such as the ongoing attacks on Black officials 2. Commissioners want the City to specifically address salary equity, grievance policies, housing, non-racist zoning, more functional PCRB 3. Commissioner says the City can explain how the events of 2017 were a catalyst for current local relations now, but they should accompany this with concrete action a. And continued reparations vi. Chair asks how Commissioners should share their thoughts 1. OHR staff recommends bringing the committee’s thoughts to the entire Commission, then allowing the HRC Chair to issue a response vii. Ashley included some ideas of her own in the memorandum that Commissioners could also comment on viii. Commissioner summarizes that the Commission is not interested in a commemorative event; it is interested in action 1. This is one of Ashley’s suggestions (“education and outreach on systemic racism, e.g., rebooting the Commission’s Dialogue on Race”) a. Pursuing Dialogue on Race reboot could be effective as long as project organizers consult Charlottesville’s Black residents b. Ashley also asks if there is any budgetary request with the Commission’s recommendations i. Could recommend that Council fund something ix. Chair does not want it to be commemorative; she would rather give a voice to those who do not have one, potentially through the Dialogue on Race 1. There is lots of documentation about the original Dialogue on Race in 2007; it is the reason for HRC’s creation a. Task forces, drafting Human Rights Ordinance, other initiatives, etc. b. City of Promise is another outcome x. Commissioner says second iteration of the Dialogue on Race was less productive in that there were no programs that came out of it 1. Todd and interns could look through Charlene’s old files on paper and computer 2. Some written history on the timeline of the Dialogue on Race could be helpful 3. There was little regular meeting of the task forces by the time Todd arrived—could be a good time for a reboot 4. There is a Facebook page that captures some of the publicly- available work xi. Commissioner says listening to the Black community and the Dialogue on Race may be different things 1. She has heard community members express that Charlottesville does not need another Dialogue on Race, as it was structured to bring white people into the conversation 2. Now, the city needs action, not conversation 3. Is interested in outreach to silenced communities rather than a formal Dialogue on Race xii. Chair agrees and proposes bringing back the Dialogue on Race, but with more action and engaging with communities 1. Commissioner suggests having a different name so as not to closely associate the different versions a. Says biggest problem is getting white people to listen to the Black community, rather than the Black community not speaking up b. Expresses strong support for bystander training and says the Commission can insist we change the way we listen to people xiii. Kathryn met with Ashley to talk about bystander intervention 1. Ashley is planning to organize it for City employees and is hopeful that what she plans will be available via Zoom to the general public, as well 2. Commissioners can be invited 3. Organizations like Hollaback! provide this training xiv. Chair says a clever poster or other creative way to get the Black community’s voices to Council would be more effective/engaging than a letter 1. Summarizes the Commission would like to recommend to Ashley more of a call to action to City Council; wants the Commission to hold them accountable but also reflect what the Black community actually wants 2. Commissioner says some kind of community event where people can come and contribute to some kind of poster or other visual could be effective a. Don't just insist people get the training, but also use it xv. Chair asks if Ashley herself is going to take on these projects 1. She is currently just brainstorming c. Recognition of commemorative dates and months i. Ashley’s ideas look good ii. OHR staff says Commission could, in their recommendations, write a letter to Council advocating for funding 1. She would like feedback from the Commission on how the events might take place while being meaningful and not just tokens iii. Chair says she recommends all of the things listed 1. Mix of explaining significance and amplifying a community’s voices, and explaining how one can support that community iv. OHR staff says VA Beach’s Human Rights Commission has a primary focus of outreach, so getting in contact with them may be helpful for ideas v. Commissioner says it feels like a lot of consistent work would be necessary to do these events effectively; is concerned about the Commission’s ability to keep up with them 1. OHR staff says Ashley is more interested in the what than the how, and wants feedback to ask Council for support 2. Expectations are not that Commission carries out the programmatic details vi. Commissioner says City should focus on the informational aspect of commemorating the events vii. Chair summarizes that the Commission recommends to Ashley that yes, her ideas are valuable; the city should focus on the educational aspect of these events and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities 1. Also, whoever takes on this task should partner with VA Beach’s Commission since they have a focus on outreach d. Community Town Hall i. Context comes from the public comment from the last regular meeting; Chair would like the Commission to engage more effectively with the public ii. Chair says doing the town hall after a bystander training could help both Council and members of the public adhere more to a community code of conduct 1. Commissioner stresses the importance of having a “team” mindset where all members of a community must be willing to defend their colleagues in order to be engaged 2. Chair says creating norms for treating one another would be beneficial to prevent individuals from being attacked a. Must come from City Council as a model b. Could have some way to pause or stop public comment when things turn personal e. Guidelines for working together and public comment i. Commissioner says Lyle Solla-Yates of the Planning Commission created a statement that Commission could use at the beginning of meetings 1. He also cuts off members of the public as soon as they begin a personal attack 2. Chair says a non-verbal way to trigger an action would be effective, such as Lyle’s ability to mute a. Copying the Planning Commission’s statement could encourage Council to do the same so that there is consistency ii. Commissioner says a time limit would also be helpful 1. 3 minutes? 2. OHR staff says the agenda has a statement that the Chair has discretion over stopping public comment, but this is not verbalized a. Can ask Communications if putting a timer on the screen would be possible iii. Will share the Planning Commission’s statement with the entire Human Rights Commission 1. Do not have to vote on it since it is essentially the same as what is written at the top of every agenda a. Though codifying through resolutions and changes to bylaws is always a good idea 2. Just be cautious that HRC is not restricting first amendment rights iv. Chair says it would be nice to quickly summarize in plain language what the Commission is and is not able to do at the beginning of meetings f. Potential support of Jefferson School proposal for disposition of Civil War statues i. There were seven proposals received for the disposition of the Lee and Jackson statues, and the Jefferson School put in a 42-page proposal to transform the Lee statue into ingots; would then be transformed into another statue by a BIPOC artist with public discussion 1. The only local proposal and the only proposal by a Black-led organization; the most detailed proposal that has received much support ii. There was a request for the Commission to craft a statement in support of this proposal, as well as urge Council to make a decision iii. Commissioner asks if Mary could make a statement at the next Council meeting on behalf of the Commission without a vote 1. Wanted to get out the statement before the next HRC regular meeting 2. Would like Council to make their decision at their next meeting 5. MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC a. PUBLIC COMMENT i. None b. COMMISSION RESPONSE TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC i. None 6. COMMISSIONER UPDATES a. Andy and other present Commissioners offer congratulations on Todd’s new role as Director at OHR i. Could begin the process of hiring more staff 7. NEXT STEPS a. General Next Steps i. Recommendations to Ashley 1. August 2017 Commemoration: Commission would like to see more of a call to action; wants to hold City Council accountable while reflecting what the Black community actually wants 2. Commemorative months/days: Ashley’s ideas are valuable, and the city should focus on the educational aspect of these events, as well as amplifying the voices of marginalized communities b. Lyndele i. Will send the finished version of A21-1 to the entire Commission to be voted upon at the next regular meeting ii. Draft plain-language resolution saying that all resolutions going forward (and past ones) have plain-language versions c. Todd i. Circulate Planning Commission’s statement with the entire HRC to put into use in future meetings d. Mary i. Make statement in support of the Jefferson School proposal at the next City Council meeting 8. ADJOURN a. Meeting adjourned at 2:08 pm